Fixatives are designed to provide a temporary setting effect or curl to the hair, and while the most common fixative is a hair spray which is designed to be applied to the hair after the hair has been blow dried, several specialty type fixatives can be applied either after the hair is towel dried or to dry hair, in order to provide more body and volume to the hair, and to aid in styling, modeling, and sculpting of the hair into unique new looks. This is followed by application of a hair spray in the form of an aerosol or pump spray to maintain the shape and style of the hair and provide gloss and sheen to the hair, in addition to a well groomed and natural appearance. Such specialty type fixatives are marketed under various names including styling gels, styling cremes, styling mousses, styling foams, styling sprays, styling spritz, styling mists, styling glazes, styling fixes, sculpting lotions, sculpting gels, sculpting glazes, sculpting sprays, glossing gels, glossing spritz, shaping gels, forming mousses, modeling spritz, finishing spritz, fixing gels, and setting lotions.
Whether the fixative is the more common hair spray or a specialty type fixative, it will typically include a film forming additive as the hair holding agent. The film forming additive should provide hair holding properties and curl retention, little flaking or powder on combing, rapid curing or drying on hair, nonstickiness, and be easily removable by shampooing. Film forming additives are delivered by a solvent which is usually an alcohol such as ethanol or a mixture of an alcohol and water. In the case of aerosol formulations such as hair sprays and mousses, a propellant such as isobutane, butane, propane or dimethyl ether is an added part of the delivery system.
Examples of currently used film forming agents are shellac, polyvinylpyrrolidone-ethyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid terpolymer, vinyl acetate-crotonic acid copolymer, vinyl acetate-crotonic acid copolymer, vinyl acetate-crotonic acid-vinyl neodeconate terpolymer, poly(vinylpyrrolidone-ethyl methacrylate) methacrylic acid copolymer, vinyl methyl ether-maleic anhydride copolymer, octylacrylamide-acrylate-butylaminoethyl-methacrylate copolymer, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone-dimethylaminoethyl-methacrylate) copolymer and derivatives thereof. These particular polymers are most suitable for alcohol based formulations such as hair sprays and pumps, and are sometimes used in water-based hair fixative products.
Such resins typically contain carboxyl groups which must be neutralized to some degree to provide compatibility with water to facilitate removal by shampooing and increase the flexibility of the film. The neutralization of the carboxyl groups can lead to relatively high solution viscosities. Furthermore, the high molecular weight of the better holding resins produces solutions which are high in viscosity. When loading is attempted above a level of six to seven percent by weight of the formulation, the high viscosity prevents the solution from breaking up into droplets, and a stream rather than a spray is produced. Although higher solids solutions of these resins are deliverable from containers which have a small orifice, these valves are more prone to clogging. Thus, loading of these resins above a certain solids level is not practical. In addition, these organic resins have poor hold when subjected to high humidity for long periods of time. Finally, hair fixative additives such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, as well as the other listed resins, are costly to manufacture and employ in hair fixatives, while at the same time imparting a lacquered look and feel onto the hair.
Silicones are also commonly used in hair fixative products. Silicones have two inherent properties particularly advantageous in hair holding applications. Certain silicone materials form films which are hydrophobic and produce solutions of low viscosity. Silicones, however, suffer from many of the same disadvantages listed above with respect to polyvinylpyrrolidone and similar fixative resins.
Consequently, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a process for setting hair using a hair fixative which is less costly to manufacture as compared to known hair fixative products, while at the same time imparting enhanced aesthetic and tactile qualities onto hair treated therewith.